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Rankings and Recognition

Bentley University enjoys a strong position in many major rankings and lists, however we do advise caution in placing too much emphasis on any one ranking figure in general. While rankings and ratings can provide helpful insight into specialty areas and expertise at any school, these various assessments are only one measure of an institution’s overall quality and reputation.

Undergraduate

U.S. News & World Report

U.S.News & World Report's latest edition of America's Best Colleges 2015 ranks Bentley University #6 in the Best Regional Universities-North category.

In the "Best Business Programs," Bentley was ranked #51.

In the business specialties category, Bentley's Accounting program ranked #31 nationally and #2 in New England.

Among the top Regional Universities-North, Bentley was also ranked:

#1 Highest Freshmen Retention Rate —The average proportion of freshmen who entered the school in the fall of 2009 through fall 2012 and returned the following fall*

#2 Highest 6 Year Graduation Rate —The highest average proportion of a graduating class that earned a degree in six years or less, based on students who started in fall 2007

#2 Best Value — Based on the relationship of the school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of need-based financial aid

*Bentley’s graduation and retention rates have increased over the past decade, highlighting that the university is offering the classes and services students need to succeed.

Bloomberg Business Week

Bloomberg BusinessWeek ranks Bentley #20 among the top undergraduate business programs in the nation in the business publication's 2014 issue of The Best Undergraduate Business Schools.

The publication also assigns grades in key areas based on student surveys. Bentley received:

•A in teaching quality

•A in facilities and services

•A+ in job placement

Bloomberg BusinessWeek uses nine measures of student satisfaction, post graduation outcomes and an academic quality rating to rank the 124 eligible undergraduate business programs. This year seven new schools entered the rankings.

The business magazine calculates its academic quality rating for each program by combining average SAT scores, student-faculty ratios, class size, the percentage of students with internships, and the number of hours students devote to class work.

This year more than 85,000 graduating seniors at participating schools were asked to complete a survey covering a range of areas from quality of teaching to recreational facilities. Overall, 27,561 students completed the survey; a response rate of 32%.

The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review named Bentley one of the nation’s Best Colleges and Universities and one of the "Best Northeastern Schools" for 2015. Student surveys also ranked Bentley:

#4 for Best Career Services

#15 for Best College Library

#17 for Best College Dorms

Fire Safety Honor Roll

In the university's profile, student comments included:

Students find that not only are professors easily accessible, so are their fellow students thanks to “small class sizes” and “discussion-based classes.” One student remarked that professors try “to get all students involved in their discussions. They enjoy team projects, which is a great way to learn the material and meet new people.”

This education is led by a team of professors who are “very engaged in their fields and are often around after hours to help you understand concepts”… “Most professors want you to do well, so that creates an environment where you feel more inclined to comment and ask questions.”

"Since I wanted to pursue a career, Bentley would offer me the best testing grounds to try every kind of major.”

Bentley University’s business-focused classes are taught by “real-life business men and women that bring their experiences from the real world into the class-room.” The business education here is “well-rounded,” and offers “connections to many alumni throughout the state”.

The Princeton Review and U.S. Green Building Council also named Bentley one of the country's most environmentally-responsible colleges in their 2014 “Guide to 322 Green Colleges.”

Bentley ranked #4 in The Princeton Review and PC Magazine survey of the Top 20 Wired Campuses for 2008-09. The ranking honors schools with the most comprehensive technology offerings. The survey focused on academics, student resources, infrastructure, wireless networks, and tech support — including questions on everything from advanced computer science programs and online lectures to computer labs and online security. Bentley also ranked #3 in the 2004 survey done by The Princeton Review and Forbes.com.

Other Recognition

Parade Magazine named Bentley one of the top schools in the country for Business and Accounting. The magazine questioned top guidance counselors for their picks of outstanding schools.

Bentley was featured in the 2005 Random House/Princeton Review book, Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement, selected because of its record of excellent service-learning programs and for successfully blending academics with community work.

The 2015 Fiske Guide, featuring Bentley University, is one of the nation's leading guidebooks and an indispensable source of information for college-bound students and their parents for over twenty years. It describes the academic climates as well as the social and extracurricular scenes at the "best and most interesting" schools in North America. This particular guide is popular because it is a combination of facts and prose; facts from Bentley and “opinion” by the writers and editors of Fiske based on interviews and surveys with Bentley students. Quotes include “the quality of teaching is fantastic,” “the dorms are in great condition,” “firms are recruiting heavily on our campus because they know Bentley students are prepared,” “there is never a dull moment on campus,” “students are constantly striving to achieve their best. An ‘okay’ grade is never enough.”

The Sierra Club recognized Bentley University as one of America's greenest campuses, according to Sierra magazine's Top 100 Coolest Schools list. Rankings were based heavily on energy supply, along with nine additional categories: energy efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, financial investments, and a section entitled "other initiatives."

Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine ranks Bentley University #32 among the top 100 Best Values in Private Universities for 2015. Among the list of the Best College Values in New England, Bentley is ranked #22 of 25 Private Universities in New England.

The Public Accounting Report (PAR) 2010 ranks Bentley #21, up from the previous year's #23, among the Top 25 Undergraduate Accounting Programs in the country. In Category 1, in which schools are grouped based on the number of accounting professors, Bentley ranks #15, up from #21. The PAR rankings are based on a survey of more than 1,700 accounting professors.

Kaplan/Newsweek named Bentley among the "Hot Schools for 2004," calling it "a rising star."

Business 2.0 magazine ranked Bentley among “The 20 Tech-Savviest Business Schools” in the December 2001 issue.

Bentley received the “2001 EDUCAUSE Award for Excellence in Campus Networking” for strategic, integrated, and innovative use of networked technologies to serve students, faculty and staff.

Graduate

U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report’s “America's Best Graduate Schools 2015” ranks the Bentley University Graduate School of Business Professional MBA (PT) program among the top 75 in the country at #64 and #6 in New England.

The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review names the Bentley Graduate School of Business among the Best Business Schools in the nation for 2015.

Other Recognition

Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and popular alternative ranking of business schools by the Aspen Institute, named the Bentley Graduate School of Business to its Global 100 list for 2011-2012. The prestigious ranking of MBA programs highlights schools that incorporate social and environmental issues into their curriculum and research, looking beyond reputation and test scores to measure how well schools prepare their students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. In the most recent edition, Bentley ranked #58, and top 5 in New England. 149 business schools from 22 countries participated in the survey.

The Public Accounting Report (PAR) 2010 ranks the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program at the McCallum Graduate School #20 in Category 1 - where schools are grouped based on the number of accounting professors. Among the Top 25 ranked programs, the Bentley MSA received an honorable mention. Bentley’s PhD program in Accountancy was ranked #24 among the top 25 programs in the teaching category. The PAR rankings are based on a survey of more than 1,700 accounting professors.